The Inquiry

For decades Russia and Japan have been locked in a dispute over the Kuril Islands, which sit between Hokkaido in Northern Japan and Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. At the end of World War Two, the island chain was annexed by the Soviet Union, who deported around 17,000 Japanese residents.
Japan claims four of the southernmost islands and refers to them as the Northern Territories. Attempts to resolve the dispute have made little progress so far. Then in August of this year, Russia’s President Putin visited the Kuril Islands for the first time since taking office. Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi criticised the visit as “absolutely unacceptable”.
So, considering the current situation, is a deal on the Kuril Islands ever possible?
Contributors:
Tessa Morris-Suzuki, professor emerita of Japanese history, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
John Nilsson-Wright, professor of Japanese politics and international relations of East Asia, Cambridge University, UK
James DJ Brown, professor of political science, Temple University, Tokyo, Japan
Valérie Niquet, senior research fellow and director of the Japan programme, Foundation for Strategic Research, Paris, France
(Photo:Kuril islands in Siberia, Russia in July, 1993 Credit: Francois Lochon/Gamma-Rapho)
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Jill Collins
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical producer: Nicky Edwards
Production Co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production Management Assistant: Tim Fernley
Editor: Tom Bigwood

The balance of power in the world is changing. The United States and China continue to be the dominant forces in international affairs, but other countries are looking for new ways to protect their interests and shape events on the global stage.
Countries often described as middle powers are seeking new ways to work together and exert influence.
Canada is one example. Prime Minister Mark Carney has argued that the old rules-based international order, shaped by US dominance, is changing. Canada is strengthening its ties with Europe, while countries in the Gulf and Indo-Pacific are also seeking new partnerships.
If middle powers can cooperate, they could have a greater role in shaping events beyond their borders. Are middle powers able to reshape the world?
Contributors:
Asa McKercher, associate professor in public policy and governance at St Francis Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada
Imran Bayoumi, deputy director at the GeoStrategy Initiative at the Atlantic Council, Washington DC, US
Dr Amy Verdun, professor of political science at the University of Victoria, Canada
Esther Brimmer, senior fellow in global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations, Washington DC, US
(Photo: Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney talks to media at the end of an EU - Canada Summit Credit: Thierry Monassey/Getty Images Europe)
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Evie Yabsley
Technical producer: Wayne Parkes
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production management assistant: Tim Fernley
Editor: Tom Bigwood

Nepal is still reeling from the devastation caused by recent flash floods. More than a thousand people are reported to have lost their lives and thousands more are still missing. The physical impact is extensive with many hydropower stations, providing the country’s main source of energy, either damaged or destroyed. The floods have also severely impacted Nepal’s other major industries including tourism.
The concern now is that the billions of dollars required for Nepal to get back on its feet go way beyond its own resources. And reconstruction will mean elevating those measures required for monitoring and responding to future geological hazards and climate change. But right now, the country’s road to recovery appears long, costly and almost impossible. So just how can Nepal’s economy rebuild after floods?
Contributors:
Dr Neera Shrestha Pradhan, water and disaster risk reduction lead, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Patan, Nepal
Dr Dinesh Paudel, professor of sustainable development, Appalachian State University, North Carolina, USA
Dr Santosh Nepal, researcher in water resources and climate change, International Water Management Institute, Lalitpur, Nepal
Ritu Bharadwaj, director climate resilience, finance and loss & damage, International Institute for Environment and Development, London, UK
(Photo: An aerial view of houses surrounded by mud, rocks and debris following flash floods in Betravati village, Rasuwa, Nepal. Credit: Ritesh Shukla/Stringer/Getty)
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Evie Yabsley and Jill Collins
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Technical producer: Mitch Goodall
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

Italy has long been associated with political instability, with governments on average lasting just over a year.
Current Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has broken that pattern. Her government has become the longest continuously serving administration in post-war Italian history, surpassing the previous record for a single uninterrupted period in office. Meloni has presented the stability of her own right-wing coalition as one of her government’s major achievements.
A general election must take place next year. As that approaches, she faces fresh challenges, including the emergence of new opposition on the right.
Meanwhile, the current government’s longevity record raises a bigger question about whether Italy has entered a new era of political stability, and what has made that possible. So how did Italian politics become stable?
(Photo: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni delivers her speech to celebrate the government's record-breaking longevity at Porto di Bari on September 4, 2026 in Bari, Italy. Credit: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)
Contributors
Rosario Forlenza, associate professor at Luiss University, Italy
Nathalie Tocci, professor of practise at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, Italy
Leila Simona Talani, professor of International Political Economy and Director of the Centre for Italian Politics at King's College London, UK
Lorenzo Pregliasco, adjunct professor at the University of Bologna and co-founder of YouTrend polling agency, Italy
Presenter: Tanya Beckett
Producer: Matt Toulson
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Technical producer: Cameron Ward
Production co-ordinator: Ellie Dover
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood

Conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt global shipping routes including the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Malacca. China is now turning to Russia for support in developing an alternative trade path: the Northern Sea Route.
On 15 August, China sent its first ship on its newly commercialised, regular shipping route, navigating north around Russia’s coastline. The maritime trade path connects eastern Chinese ports including Ningbo to Europe, offering a quicker way to EU markets which account for 20 per cent of China’s exports.
Ships must be specially designed to break ice and open up frozen waters. Global warming could increase access to this path. South Korea among other nations are beginning to discover its potential. Can China’s polar silk road transform global trade?
Our panel this week are Dr Marc Lanteigne, professor of political science at the University of Tromsø, The Arctic University of Norway; Nan Hao, researcher in economic security at Helsinki Geo-economics Society, Finland and Geneva Graduate Institute, Switzerland; Prof Dr Katarzyna Zysk, professor of international relations and contemporary history at Norweigan Institute for Defence Studies, Oslo, Norway, and Karen van Loon, research fellow in Security and Defence programme at Clingendael Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands
(Photo: The icebreaker Kronprins Haakon sails through sea ice. Credit: Oliver Morin/Getty Images)
Presenter: Charmaine Cozier
Producer: Evie Yabsley
Researcher: Amelia Cox
Sound engineer: Nathaniel Danter
Production co-ordinator: Phoebe Lomas
Production management assistant: Liam Morrey
Editor: Tom Bigwood